The Hartley Family Blog

WHEW!

2010-04-20T21:10:00.001-05:00

I have been woefully lazy about updating the blog. I'm so sorry. I'll be better in the future. This is pretty much everying. We learned to ride bikes, had great birthdays and Christmases and Halloweens... We had fun in the backyard, in Louisville and in school. We had a first day of first grade and preshool and we had lots of love here in the Hartley house!! Take a look, get all caught up and check back in May for the next post!!!!

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oops, forgot these...

2009-08-25T11:38:00.000-05:00

Sam's first tooth!!!

2009-08-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

I think this speaks for itself!

Trip to Louisville

2009-08-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

Grandma Rosie signed Sam up for Lego Camp this summer and we had a great trip to Louisville for a week! We swam a lot, hung out with Uncle Mike and Papa Cooper and played in the park. It was a great and really relaxing week!!!

More pics from Grandma Rosie's..

2009-08-25T11:31:00.000-05:00

No training wheels!!

2009-08-25T11:26:00.000-05:00

In July, Sam came to Ben and said he wanted his training wheels off. "I can ride without them, I know I can." He had never been successful WITH his training wheels so we were totally doubtful but Ben took them off and Sam proved us wrong! Off he went! This is try #2 because we seriously didn't think he would ever be able to ride solo. Oops. He only wanted to ride in straight lines and got really mad and gave up when we made him ride in a circle.

July 4th 2009

2009-08-25T11:01:00.000-05:00

Lots of sparklers. Lots. Kids had fun, grownups too...

more July 4th

2009-08-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

OK, so it's not a real beach,...

2009-08-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

Sam has been beging us to go to the beack, which is a problem since we're pretty landlocked. This is from another trop to Lake McBride, which has a really nice "beach". This was the day that we drug the canoes up and there were 30mph wind gusts. Fun for swimming in but Sam got so freaked out in the canoe that we were only out for a really exciting 15 minutes. The had a great time swimming anyway...

2009-08-25T10:55:00.000-05:00

I just love this picture, there's no story....

Awesome day at Lake McBride

2009-08-25T10:52:00.000-05:00

These are pictures from a really great trip we took to Lake McBride. It was a perfect day to take the canoes out and do some hiking.

more from Lake McBride....

2009-08-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

Memorial day "camp out"

2009-08-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

So, I know that Ben is the greatest Dad in the world and this proves it! The kids wanted to go camping but I really didn't want to drag them out for just one night so Ben agreed to camp with the kids in the backyard. I slept comfortably in the house (sorry) and the kids had a BLAST sleeping in the tent. Honestly, we really didn't think they would make it the whole night but Ben actually ended up falling asleep first! The top two pics are from the begining of the campout and the second two are from the next morning. It got down to 53 that night! Mom made pancakes the next morning and lots of coffee for Dad!

sprinkler fun

2009-08-25T10:43:00.000-05:00

So, once again, I'm catching up. We had a super busy summer and I didn't get around to posting pics until now, when Sam is in school all day. This is from the begining of summer, it was warm and the kids had a blast running through the sprinkler. It's a good thing they love it, it was rarely warm enough this summer to swim.

2009-05-20T11:58:00.000-05:00

So, I'm playing catch up as usual. These are just random pictures from the last few weeks. We have been toasting marshmallows quite a bit since the weather has been so incredible. Sam's walk-a-thon was a few weeks ago too. It rained that day but the kids all walked anyway. It was really cute and Sam had a great time. Thanks to all who donated money to help Seton buy new computers!

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

We had a pretty good Easter this year! Sam is sick (again!) so that limited our activities but the kids were awesome at church and got some candy so everyone was happy. Lil was able to get another wearing out of the incredible dress Grandma Rosie made for her baptism and Sam looked dashing as well. Bob and Marsha hosted a really fun treasure hunt, the kids had a super time running around the house looking for the next egg and clue. Hope you all had a great Easter too!!!

Flying squirrels

2009-03-30T15:23:00.000-05:00

We really love feeding the birds. We have a book where we mark who came to the feeder and when. It's been really fun for us. We hate the squirrels. They sit up there and hog all the good food and make a mess. Ben came up with this great idea to keep them off the feeder, hilbilly style. He cut a hole in a trash can lid and affixed it loosely to the pole. The lid wobbles and we thought no squirrel would ever want to land on it, until today. I had a feeling that they were jumping from the tree to the feeder pole and now I have proof. If it weren't so fun to watch, I'd be annoyed!

Sam's first soccer game!

2009-03-30T15:18:00.000-05:00

Yes, it was 34 degreese outside and blowing sideways, yes we got 3" of snow later in the day and yes, Sam's first soccer game happened, weather notwithstanding! Sam had a great time and played just fine. Every time he kicked the ball he would turn and smile and wave at us so we know he was enjoying himeself.

2009-03-25T19:03:00.000-05:00

We had a couple of really nice nights here so we were able to get the yard cleared after the oak tree got pruned. Jeesh, from the look of it you'd think they cut the whole dang thing down! Anyway, we decided to have a fire and reast marshmallows. The marshmallows were two years old so they were pretty stale but the kids liked them anyway. Yes, I got new ones for next time.....

Everyone keeps giving me a hard time because there are no pictures of me on here. Well, sorry, this is what happens when I try to get a nice picture of us,...

It's a dogs life.

2009-03-25T18:59:00.000-05:00

Once again, life isn't too bad when you're sick around here,...

Lil's new big girl bed,...pt. 1

2009-03-14T22:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's true. Lilly is now sleeping in her big girl bed. Because our house is rediculously small, and the kids share a room, we had to be creative. I think this works out really well. Lilly doesn't fall too far when she falls out of bed for the first time and now, when they jump on Sam's bed there's a 60% chance they will land on Lil's bed instead of the floor. We were going to make bunk beds but, with our Lil being such a dare devil, we thought better of it. We skipped her nap today so she was good and tired, then gave her a bath which put the cherry on top. She was out in 5 minutes. A we all know, things that start out well can end badly so keep checking back for part 2,...when Lilly won't take a nap.

"Other bunny"

2009-03-06T14:58:00.000-06:00

Now I'm caught up, these are from just the other day. Many of you know all about Lilly's bunny. She has three and they are all pretty much identical, except to Lilly. The original is just slightly different and she can find it in the dark. She will accept no others, the replacements we have "in case of emergency" will not soothe her soul and will only do in dire straights. She allows me to wash "other bunny" only when it is horribly and repulsively dirty.

OOPS.

2009-03-06T14:53:00.000-06:00

So the kids have been really great lately so I thought I would invite Aunt Bish over and we would make the cookies we were supposed to make last week. It was great, Lilly is always up for sweets of any kind and Sam loves frosting so we had a great time baking and decorating. The next day Sam came up with strep throat, after we all ate the cookies and licked the knives. Oops.

Play doh Day doh

2009-03-06T14:50:00.000-06:00

Lilly is obsessed with Play-Doh and it's a good thing that it's non toxic and non staining, it also vacuums right out of the carpet, the stuff is magic. She put a huge hunk of it in her mouth the other day and I'm sorry I missed the photo of her face. She will NEVER do that again, I'm certain. I had someone tell me the other day that they MADE their own play dough. I'm sorry, i'm sure they spent more money and time making this stuff. 8 jars were $4 and it took me 1/2 hour to drive to Target and back. It's a no brainer.....

Sam's 6th birthday

2009-03-06T14:44:00.000-06:00

Sam wanted a "surprise" birthday, on his birthday so we gave him one. I wish I could have caught the shock and horror on his face when we all yelled at him, it was so great. He didn't understand the concept of a surprise party at all so it was fun for everyone. He got lots of great stuff, the Batman costume being the big hit followed closely by the night vision goggles. Grandma Marsha was a HUGE trooper, letting the kids (and Aunt Bish) play with silly string and the cake was awesome.

2009-03-06T14:41:00.000-06:00

We had lots of snow

2009-03-06T14:39:00.000-06:00

These next 8 photos are from January when we had quite a bit of snow. There was lots of sledding. Buddy even pulled the kids behind the tractor, which Lilly wasn't so sure about. Ben was the big trooper for these sledding parties, I always get too cold so I am the staff photographer.

more snow...

2009-03-06T14:35:00.000-06:00

Yeah, it's been a while

2009-03-06T14:34:00.000-06:00

Winter is long and longer here in Illinois so I've been busy doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself. The kids are sick all the time and I get busy taking pictures but too tired and lazy to post them. So, now that spring is springing I have more motivation and I'm going to play catch up.....

A few Christmas pictures

2009-01-15T15:39:00.000-06:00

OK, now I'm caught up. Here are a few pictures of the kids opening presents. We still haven't made it to Louisville to have Christmas there but I will post pics from that holiday when we make it there. Everyone had a great time. We were supposed to go to Louisville for the whole weekend but everyone here was sick and the weather was terrible so we stayed home. It was nice except that the fridge had been emptied and no stores were open and all we had to eat was a giant ham Ben brought home from work. We ate lots of ham and cookies. Ben didn't see what the problem was.

I am a good Mom, really

2009-01-15T15:34:00.000-06:00

Sam's Christmas program

2009-01-15T15:32:00.000-06:00

I am going to be so glad when Sam is too old for these Christmas programs. I hate them. I'm sorry. I have an energetic 5 year old and every year it's the same stomachache leading up to the event. "What's he going to do this year? Dive off the stage into a pile of blankets bound for orphans? stick out his tongue? leave the stage?" The lead up to the big day was no different this year. Talks with his teacher confirmed that it was just too much to ask that our dear Sam sit still and behave himself with 74 other kids in a gymnasium. We were beginning to dispair when Mrs. Herring (dear Mrs. Herring) came to our rescue. She was Sam's personal chaperone for the program and gave Sam special jobs to do. He handed out programs as all the parents arrived and he ran the tape recorder. He helped all the all the other children up onto the risers and off and sang his part like an angel. It was a real relief. And it's over for another year. Until Easter,...

Cookie fest '08

2009-01-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

I just don't think this needs much of a comment. Lilly has a famous sweet tooth (just see following posts) and she ate more of the decorations than made it on the cookies. The cookies were great, if just a little weird and manhandled.

Lots of snow

2009-01-15T15:23:00.000-06:00

We have had lots of snow over the winter here and Sam and Lil have had tons of "on sled" time. We have a small hill in our backyard that will do for this year but won't hold them for long. Beyond our fence there is a sheer drop into the ravine, very desirable for sledding kids and terrifying for Mom's.

Just to catch up

2009-01-15T15:18:00.000-06:00

OK, the kids are constantly interrupting so I am just going to blog, shotgun style. Here are pictures from December and the beginning of January in no order. I will post Christmas pictures separately, they aren't very good anyway. You know how that goes with kids. You try to keep it organized and take nice pictures and 10 seconds later you are wading through a mountain of paper looking for a doll's shoe or some tiny Lego car part....

This is as good a place to start as any

2009-01-15T15:15:00.000-06:00

So, I haven't posted in a while. It's been pretty busy here at the Hartley house. My Etsy store was busy for the holidays and Sam was home for Christmas break. It was very snowy here and cold. We made lots of Christmas Cookies this year. Lilly had her first beater, it took about an hour to clean it off completely. She got a bath afterwards....

Trip to see Grandma Rosie

2008-11-25T11:43:00.000-06:00

This actually happened quite a while ago, at the beginning of November, but I've been really busy so it's taken me a while to get my act together. We were in Louisville for 4 days and it was a great visit. Ok, ok,ok I was a little crabby but the kids were terrific and they always love seeing Grandma Rosie. Thanks for the great time Grandma!!!

more pics of our trip...

2008-11-25T11:38:00.000-06:00

Shameless self-promotion!!!

2008-11-04T11:43:00.001-06:00

I have opened a store at Etsy.com, as you all probably know! Check out the link on the left side of the blog to see what I have made lately!! If you haven't checked out Etsy.com, do it today!!! It's an awesome collection of fabulous crafters!! While you're there, check out my friend's store "Posy Pins"!

Don't miss this one...

2008-10-27T11:44:00.000-05:00

Yep, this is Daddy letting his spoiled girl take a huge bite right out of her cake. Aparently, it's a new tradition. I can't wait for MY birthday!!!

LILLY'S 2ND BIRTHDAY!!

2008-10-27T11:42:00.000-05:00

We had a great time! Thanks to all who came, eventhough the wind blew our power out! Lilly got lots of stuff that she really loves.

Gender stereotyping

2008-10-27T11:38:00.000-05:00

So who can resist tutu's and play kitchens when they are so darn cute??? Not me. Lil loves this stuff, it's really awesome to watch.

Happy Halloween!!!!

2008-10-22T16:17:00.000-05:00

We carved our pumpkins and nobody lost a finger. There was no blood drawn, no crying and only minimal whining. It was a successful Hartley Family event. I hope you all get lots of candy!

Lil's new hat

2008-10-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

I made this hat this weekend, I think it turned out so great. She "no like it" but when I bribed her with a graham cracker she sat like a little angel.

How freakin great is this????

2008-10-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

Do you remember being a kid and getting your Halloween costume every year? Did you love yours this much??? Sam does. He is the webslinger and, even though he has NEVER seen a spiderman cartoon, he can tell you all about the masked superhero. Where does he get this stuff!!!! He insisted on wearing the costume all night last night. I had to draw the line at wearing it to bed. He jumped all over the furniture and snared Camper and Lilly in his invisible webs, fighting crime wherever it was lurking. He even wore the mask in the car to school, maybe I SHOULD send in that Mother of the Year form....

Random pictures from the last few days

2008-10-21T12:24:00.000-05:00

The first picture I just thought was nice of the kids playing with this super cool set of blocks I got at the resale shop. Sam really likes building things and we have had a great time with these. In the second picture, Lilly actually hoisted that basket into the chair and climbed into it while I was sitting right next to her. I never noticed, I was busy doing something else, like filling out my nomination form for Mother of the Year.

By the way

2008-10-14T21:30:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you get your kids home from the park and give them a bath to wash off the hateful sand,...

trip to the park

2008-10-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

It was a really nice day on Sunday so we went to the park. It was nice, except for all the sand. Who puts sand under a kids playground? I hate sand, I'm still vaccuuming it up.

So this is how it starts.......

2008-10-14T21:26:00.000-05:00

So Sam asked me to get my camera and take some pictures of him on his skateboard. How could I say no?? He is our cautious kid, Lil is more likely to ride that thing, but he really thought he was a cool guy.

This is what happens when you take too many pictures of your kid in front of his friends

2008-10-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

So I went with Sam's class to the pumpkin patch on Friday and it was really fun. Sam, all the sudden, hates having his picture taken and was annoyed with having his Mom there all day. It was pretty funny. So, this is what I got.

It's finally done!!!

2008-10-02T12:46:00.000-05:00

For years I have lived uner the heavy weight of Catholic guilt about not having my kids Baptized. I'm finally free. It feels good. Sam and Lil behaved like angels, eventhough Sam had to cling to Dad for dear life as he was slung over the font. I thought for sure that Lil would scream "stop that" or hit the preist or something but she did not. Sam did have a moment where he wasn't sure about the whole thing and he told Fr. Levitt that he "didn't want this stupid Baptism" but that was before we actually entered church so maybe God wasn't listening yet. Let's hope. Anyway, thanks to all who were involved, you know who you were. I appreciate all the help and support. Aunt Bish was a super trooper, getting up super early to be at our house at 8:30 am!!! She's gonna be an awesome Godmother!!! Lil's Godmother couldn't make it from Colorado, my cousin (and MY goddaughter) Emily, so Mom stood proxy, way to go! Grandma Marsha and Grandpa Bob took pictures, thank goodness! I hardly remember the whole thing, I was so stressed about what the kids would do!!!

I don't think this needs any comment

2008-09-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

Let's just say that Lilly has inherited the Hartley family sweet tooth.

Lil's first (dare I call it a) haircut!

2008-09-22T21:35:00.000-05:00

So, Lil has about 5 pieces of hair. Aunt Bish was over cutting Ben's hair and Sam's hair (thanks Bish!!) and when she got done Lil wanted a "hair" cut as well. It was pretty funny, Bish cut off about a 1/4" of hair (which I have in a bag, thankyouverymuch) and Lil was happy to have been included. She wasn't too sure at first about the whole thing but she warmed up and I think in 3 or 4 years she will be ready for her close up.

Oy

2008-09-22T21:26:00.000-05:00

This was from a few weeks ago. I just took the time to look through loads of pictures that I have failed to post in a timely manner. Sorry about that. I'm sure you will all get over it. So, anyway, this was a day of lots of rain, days and days of it. It was cold too. I can't remember who's idea it was to send them out to jump in the puddles but I want to say it was Ben's because it was probably mine. They got soaked and freezing cold and then took a walk down the alley proclaiming my poor mothering to all our neighbors.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty,...

2008-09-17T10:23:00.002-05:00

This is a disgusting video of Lilly having no table manners. She loves yogurt so much she laps it out of the bowl like a cat. I guess we are the culprits, if we would stop laughing and making movies of it she wouldn't think it was so funny and she would probably stop doing it. I'm not too worried about it,...I suppose if it keeps her from getting into college or something then it will be a problem. Maybe her grossness will keep her from dating???????

it's not too bad being sick in the Hartley house

2008-09-15T14:19:00.000-05:00

So when you run a high fever and don't bother anyone, you get to snuggle with the dog, watch movies and drink juice all day. If it wasn't for the headache, I'm sure Sam would be sick every day if he could!!

I just thought these were funny...

2008-09-15T14:17:00.000-05:00

I just thought these were funny/sweet pics of Lil. She is so great, bratty sometimes and so bossy!!! Most of the time she just likes to sit on the floor and play with her little people, she bosses them around and makes them eat their apples, it's really funny. She's really into brushing her teeth, she's strung out on toothpaste, can't get enough! The first picture is me telling her that we only brush 2 times a day.

New studio almost finished!!

2008-08-31T18:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's move in weekend for the studio! Things are so clean and organized, it's a great beginning! I need a comfortable chair and some other stuff but it's basically done. Ben trimmed out the window over my bench and still has to do baseboards and the door and other window. It really looks great and I can't wait to get in there and get some work done. I'll post more pictures as I get completely moved in...

Our little Republican

2008-08-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

OK, so my Father in Law asked if he could drag Sam and the shark car with the Republicans in the parade here in town. My father was totally smiling down from heaven, and my friend Lynnie laughed so hard!!! We are big Democrats and big Obama supporters so we secretly told Sam to yell "OBAMA" while he was throwing the candy. Luckily, he forgot and we all had a great time. Lilly was being sassy for the camera but she got lots of shiny bead necklaces and was really good.

First day part 2

2008-08-25T13:36:00.001-05:00

So this is pickup on the first day. Sam was so good waiting for his name to be called and then told me he was sick of me taking pictures of him. Hahahaha!

Sam's first day at kindergarten!!!!!!!!

2008-08-25T13:33:00.000-05:00

So, the day finally came!!! Sam started Kindergarten today and it was so great!!! Here he is modeling his new backpack with Speed Racer on it. He LOVES Speed Racer (as did his Mom when she was younger) and he sounds like he had a great first day. Lilly is acting like a monster with Sam gone. Marsha said she would fight with me now that Sam is gone and it didn't take her long to figure that out. I think this is going to be a great time for all of us. I'll keep you posted! By the way, I want to thank all of you for calling and writing and checking up on us this last week. I means so much to us and has made this a lot easier.

I'm at a loss

2008-08-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know already, my Dad passed away last night. It was sudden and we are all in shock. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We will all miss him.

Take me out the the ball game

2008-08-21T12:27:00.002-05:00

This was a few weeks ago and I'm just getting to them. I just thought they were funny. Mostly we chased Lilly around and Sam begged for junk food. The game was great! Thanks Jen and Al for the free tickets and Thanks Grandma, Buddy and Libesh for helping coral the kids!!!

Day out with Thomas

2008-08-20T22:16:00.001-05:00

This event was in Union, Illinois at the Illinois Railway Museum and, if you're ever in the neighborhood it's definately worth the detour. It's an amazing place with over 100 years of America's railroad history. The Thomas event was great, the kids had so much fun and really were a pleasure to be with! It was like a little miracle. Sam played mini golf and is really showing some aptitude for the sport. He totally smoked the kid in front of him (who's Dad was obviously a golfer and was really perterbed that his kid was averaging 10 strokes per hole). We rode an antique trolly just like the one on Mr. Roger's and saw tons of big old trains. The hilight of the day was a 20 minute ride on Thomas. Lilly spit her binkie out the window but the rest of the $2.50/minute ride was uneventful and relaxing. If you've got a 4-5 year old, don't miss this event!

2008-08-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

Cone collar!!!!

2008-07-25T16:14:00.000-05:00

Here is a Camper update! He is home and feeling fine! Well, I don't know that he is feeling fine, he is probally feeling gross but he is glad to be home with us for sure. It will take about 3 weeks for him to recover completely and have all the staples taken out of his belly (hence the cone) but he looks and acts like our old dog again!!! YIPPIE!

One last note.....

2008-07-23T11:46:00.002-05:00

I mentioned earlier in the week that there was some stuff going on with Camper and Ben and I want everyone to know that all seems well. We are waiting to hear from Savannah so that's not quite resolved but we have an idea about what is going to happen, more on that in the weeks to come.

Camper is MUCH better, thank you all for your prayers and calls!!! We can't believe it but he may be home tomorrow or Friday, two weeks at the vet!!!! Whew! It seems like a million years since we took him in. Vet thinks he may make a full recovery! Hurray! We will post pics of the homecoming!

More big storm

2008-07-23T11:43:00.000-05:00

I wish I would remember to put these in order when I post but I forgot so they are sort of out of order. These are some pics of Bob and Marsha's deck (what used to be the deck!) and yard and of our yard after they got done pulling all the tree off our house.

Big storm on 2008

2008-07-23T11:38:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures of our house after the big storm! We had winds of 98mph whip through here at 6am on Monday morning. Trees and power lines were down all over the city. Our house was good in comparison to some of our neighbors, bad when compared to others. Let's stop for a moment and be thankful that nobody was hurt in our neighborhood, our neighbors all came together to get stuff done and we have power back now. All in all, it wasn't horrible. We have 4 small holes in the roof and when the branches came down they took a light and gutter with them. I decided not to gawk at our neighbors distruction so I don't have any pictures of the other houses on our block, just one neighbor trying to clear the road and the other neighbor's pin oak laying in their yard, narrowly missing their house!!!!!

technical dificulties

2008-07-15T11:08:00.002-05:00

We are having some stuff go on here at the Hartley house so all posting is postponed till next week. First, Ben got a call from Savannah College of Art and Design and they are flying him out for a formal interview on Wednesday. We have had quite a time preparing for this. The Friday night I had to rush our wonderful dog Camper to the emergency vet, where he stayed until Monday morning without getting much better. Pancreatitis was diagnosed and I took him straight to our vet when they opened Monday morning. Dr. Griner opened him up this morning and it doesn't look good. His pancreas is inflamed and there is an abscess. He has done all he can and now we just have to wait to see if he gets better. It's a tough week for us with lots of big stress. We can all use all the happy thoughts and prayers you can send. I'll post more next week.

4th of July festivities

2008-07-08T14:18:00.000-05:00

The 4th was great around here! Sam and Ben took the shark car to the neighborhood parade and had so much fun! Lilly was sort of dressed for the event, I walked her in the parade too. Sam is going to have a long career with OSHA, he insisted on wearing hearing protection to the fireworks. Lil thought the fireworks were awesome, she said "boom! Thank you!" after every explosion, it was really funny!

New studio for me!

2008-07-08T14:14:00.000-05:00

Ben decided that he felt guilty about hogging up all the studio space around here so he is building me a wonderful studio behind the garage with a senic view of the swing set and the back yard. It's beautiful and I can't wait to move in. I'll post new pictures when there is more to show!

Pics of Sam the tool man!!!

2008-07-08T14:09:00.000-05:00

random pictures from the last few weeks

2008-07-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a long time since we have posted anything. This is mostly due to Sam's being out of school and needing constant entertaining. At this very moment he is whining that I'm not playing trucks with him. Wasn't powerwashing our garbage can fun enough??? Jeez.. Yes, the doll pictures are adorable, aren't they?

SHARK CAR!!!!!

2008-06-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

It's finally done and it's had it's maiden voyage. The shark car is here and it looks amazing! The paint job is fantastic, way to go Ben!!! All the big kids in the neighborhood (and most of the Dad's) are totally jealous!

The flood of '08

2008-06-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

So, lots of you have written and called to see if we are ok or if we are washed down the mighty and very muddy Mississippi. We are not, thankfully. We are high and dry and grateful just to gawk at the amount of water down on River Drive. Although there isn't much driving going on. Look for the little red cap of fire hydrant sticking up...it's a lot of water.

I'm a yarnaholic

2008-06-11T15:54:00.000-05:00

Actually, I'm not as bad as some. How great are these colors!!!! I will be a sock knitting machine all summer!

This is why I've not been blogging!!

2008-06-11T15:52:00.000-05:00

How awesome is this yarn!!! I can't wait to wear these socks! Anyone want to donate to the "Buy the sock knitter some Birkenstocks" fund???? Hahahaha!!!!!!!

More fun with water...

2008-06-06T19:46:00.001-05:00

Ben can't understand why I don't do this when he's not here.....

2008-06-06T19:41:00.001-05:00

Honestly, Ben wanted to know if I did stuff like this when he wasn't around. Are you kidding? I suppose I could but that there's Dad stuff and I would be thinking of the mess the whole time. As it turned out, it made the kids plumb tuckered out and wasn't as big a hassle to clean up after as I thought. One point for Dad!!!

New pics of the car

2008-05-27T20:32:00.000-05:00

Ben and Sam had more time to work on the race car. Here is phase two of the soap box derby car.....

The goodbye song

2008-05-23T21:23:00.000-05:00

We have a graduate!!!

2008-05-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

Sam's last day of preschool was today. They had a wonderful program and a ceremony, mortarboards and all. Sam was great, he sang and smiled and had a great time.

Soap Box Derby car!!!

2008-05-23T21:10:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Ben and Sam went to the Soap Box Derby races. Needless to say, they had an awesome time. Ben is now making the most awesome race car for Sam! Here is step one and the first test drive. We will keep you posted....

Big trip

2008-05-23T21:04:00.000-05:00

About a week ago Grandma and Buddy left on their big trip down the Mississippi. This is Sam the morning of their departure all set and ready to go with them! Have a great trip guys!!!

SamSaw

2008-05-20T22:17:00.000-05:00

This is the new bandsaw that ben took from an ugly duckling to a swan. It took him 3 months. The other project in the picture has taken a little longer......

Nosey

2008-05-17T08:42:00.000-05:00

This is Lil being super nosey when I was trying to take the sunflower planting pictures. I thought they were funny.....

Sunflower fever!!!

2008-05-17T08:37:00.000-05:00

Ben had the great idea of planting sunflowers along our back fence as a little "watch it grow" exeriment for Sam and Lilly. We planted two kinds, about 5 of each. They should get to be an unbelieveable 12' tall!!!

Has every Dad done this??

2008-05-01T17:27:00.000-05:00

And every mother screamed??? I have gotten used to it by now and, as the kids LOVE it, I don't scream every time, just most of the time!

More silliness

2008-04-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

These are from a few days ago when it was colder. The second one of Sam is Camper giving him a "lick and run".
Yuck!!

2008-04-30T18:39:00.000-05:00

I don't think I need to comment on this...

Impromptu trip to Chicago

2008-04-27T14:25:00.000-05:00

Ben got two days off so we decided to leave Lilly with Bob and Marsha and head for Chicago with Sam. Here he is, all ready for the trip.

We started at the Shedd Aquarium and it was amazing! For those of you who don't know, Sam is really interested in sharks and sea life so this was really exciting for him. He thought Lake Michigan was great, it's the biggest body of water he has ever seen.

I have over 70 pictures of Sam at the Shedd but most of them are blurry. They don't allow flash photography there and Sam can't sit still so it was a small problem. It took us a long time to convince him to stick his finger in this fishes' mouth. Ben pinching him the first time he got colse didn't help.....